PATIENTS would experience ‘less traffic’ if Royal Bournemouth Hospital became the county’s major emergency centre over Poole Hospital, according to hospital bosses.

Medical director at RBH Alyson O’Donnell said more people in the county live nearer Bournemouth, improvements to the road network would be better than ‘landlocked’ Poole Hospital and it would be easier and cheaper to expand its A&E centre to cope with more emergencies.

She added the most acute emergency conditions including heart attacks already travel to the hospital from across ‘the whole of Dorset’ anyway – and it already boasts a helipad.

The trust has today written to all its 4,500 staff and NHS Dorset CCG highlighting why they ‘firmly favour’ the Clinical Services Review proposals.

Alyson said: “This is genuinely a drive to improve patient care for the people in Dorset and make the health system fit for the next 20 years, and this does mean doing things differently. “Doing nothing is not a feasible option. In essence, more of the population will be able to get to Bournemouth more quickly and it is all about the care you get when you arrive.”

Chief executive Tony Spotswood and chairman Jane Stichbury said the proposals ‘were substantially better’ for patients.

The memo reads: “The development of a main emergency hospital will strengthen emergency care, with consultant teams continuing to offer seven day consultant-led care over a longer working day and in some instances 24/7.

“There is clear evidence that patient outcomes are improved by increased specialisation, particularly from more complex interventions.”

The trust added Poole Hospital is better for planned care due to its public transport links and pledges to work closely together.